Fin Feather Fur to open in spring

The sporting-goods and outdoor-supply store Fin Feather Fur Outfitters will occupy the former Value City store on Boardman-Poland Road and hire between 40 and 45 employees, the company announced Monday.

Resumes are being accepted and can be sent to 4080 Belden Village St. NW in Canton with the note “attention manager.”

The new store, the company’s fourth expansion in three years, is set to open in the spring.

Quaker Steak to open in Bazetta

CORTLAND

Quaker Steak & Lube will open a new restaurant at 2191 Millennium Blvd. in Bazetta Township at 3 p.m. Feb. 26.

The 5,000-square-foot location will seat 230 and employ almost 100 people.

To mark the opening, the new restaurant will make a donation to Inspiring Minds, a local charity that provides after-school programs for students.

The cost for a gallon of regular gas in Ohio was averaging $3.31 in Monday’s survey from auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and WEX Inc. That’s a nickel higher than the average Jan. 27 and a penny less than the price at this time last month.

The national average is about $3.28 per gallon, which is nearly unchanged over the past month, and 23 cents lower than at this time last year.

The lowest average price in Ohio on Monday was $3.24 in Cincinnati.

Clothing store to open in Boardman

boardman

The young-women’s clothing store Maurices’ is coming to Southern Park Mall in May.

The store will occupy the 6,035-square-foot space in the Sears concourse of the mall next to the Shoe Department.

Factories expand at much-slower pace

WASHINGTON

U.S. manufacturing barely expanded last month, in part because cold weather delayed shipments of raw materials and caused some factories to shut down.

The report from the Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, contributed to a plunge on Wall Street. The manufacturing report raised the possibility that the U.S. economy might be starting to weaken.

The ISM said Monday that its index of manufacturing activity fell to 51.3 in January from 56.5 in December. It was the lowest reading since May, though any reading above 50 signals growth. Manufacturers said export orders grew at a healthy pace but slightly less than in the previous month.

The figures suggest that U.S. manufacturing is slowing after a strong finish to last year. Auto sales have decelerated, and businesses are spending cautiously on machinery and other large factory goods.